Northern Ireland: Recent Developments

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	On Friday 20 February the Police Service of Northern Ireland made a number of arrests in connection with an alleged assault and abduction. The case is sub judice.
	Four people now face serious charges, including grievous bodily harm, possession of articles likely to be of use to terrorists and unlawful imprisonment. The PSNI are following a number of very definite evidential lines, including video material and the items, clothing and other forensic material recovered at the scene. The Chief Constable of the PSNI has made clear to me that he is satisfied that there was Provisional IRA involvement in the incident.
	These events are a matter of serious concern. As far as the overall situation is concerned, my assessment of the various paramilitary organisations' ceasefires, in the light of information I have received, remains unchanged. But all the indications are that there has been a serious breach of the requirement set out by the British and Irish Governments in paragraph 13 of the Joint Declaration for an end to all forms of paramilitary activity.
	Such behaviour is wholly unacceptable. As the Government have repeatedly made clear, parties cannot be half-in, half-out of the democratic process. All paramilitary activity must stop.
	These developments have inevitably had a serious impact on this week's discussions with the Northern Ireland political parties within the review of the operation of the Belfast agreement. At those meetings, we listened carefully to the views of the parties and, in particular, to their concerns about the implications of these events for the establishment of the trust and confidence required to achieve a successful outcome to the review and to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland.
	Both Governments are now asking the Independent Monitoring Commission, which was established in January, to examine Friday's incident in the context of the preparation of its first report on paramilitary activity. We have also asked the commission to bring that report forward from July to May. The report is expected to take account of all paramilitary incidents and activities within its remit since the commission's establishment. The commission is obliged by law not to do anything in carrying out its functions that might have a prejudicial effect on any legal proceedings.
	Both the British and Irish Governments are very clear that the achievement of a sustainable basis for political progress in Northern Ireland requires a full and permanent cessation of all paramilitary activity. As part of the wider agenda of the review, it is vital that we intensify engagement with the parties on this core issue, and we envisage that next week there will be a significant focus on it.

Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order: Review

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	A review of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the accompanying codes of practice is being undertaken by officials in the Northern Ireland Office.
	The review, which aims to bring the existing PACE legislation and the codes of practice in Northern Ireland into line with that in England and Wales, will adopt much of the new or amended legislation and revisions to the codes of practice introduced by the Home Office as a result of their fundamental review of PACE in 2002.
	It is my intention to issue a draft Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order and associated codes of practice for consultation in autumn 2004 with the aim of them becoming operational by summer 2005.

Council of Europe and Western European Union: Information Bulletin

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Prime Minister has placed in the Library today the latest information bulletin on the activities of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union covering the period November 2002 to October 2003.

Afghanistan Pledge

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development has made the following Written Ministerial Statement today.
	Afghanistan remains a high priority for the Government. A lot has been achieved during the past two years. Around 3 million refugees have been helped to return to Afghanistan. Improvements have been made in education, with more than 4 million children back at school. Thirty seven per cent of pupils are now girls, up from 5 per cent in 2001. Twelve million children have been immunized against polio and 16 million against measles since 2002, saving 30,000 lives. Women are increasingly taking part in politics and the new constitution guarantees women 25 per cent of seats at the new parliament and equal rights and duties before the law. But there are still challenges ahead.
	As part of the UK's continuing commitment to Afghanistan I will be announcing, at the donor conference taking place in Berlin on 31 March and 1 April an increase in our assistance to at least £500 million over five years. This represents an increase of 150 per cent on our original commitment for the reconstruction of Afghanistan made in Tokyo in January 2002 to provide £200 million over these five years (the financial years 2002–03 to 2006–07). So far we have provided £110.5 million of this. This new pledge will include at least £75 million a year for reconstruction, plus assistance for counter-narcotics and conflict prevention.
	One of the major challenges Afghanistan faces is security, particularly in the south and east of the country, and the need to tackle the drugs trade. The UK is working to support the Afghan police and helping to build a new Afghan national army. We are also assisting with the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants. Our new financial commitment will help to address all these issues.

Falkland Islands: Airlinks

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I made a Statement to this House on 19 January on airlinks between the Falklands and Argentina (Official Report col. WS39). I would like to report on developments since then.
	My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Rammell) travelled to Argentina on 16 to 17 February on a preplanned bilateral visit. He held talks on a wide range of international, regional and bilateral issues. The question of airlinks featured in talks with the Argentine Foreign Minister, Dr Rafael Bielsa. The talks were frank and constructive and they made some progress. Some proposals were discussed which they each agreed to look at further. These proposals primarily focussed on temporary arrangements for charter flights for 2004. Mr Rammell made clear that any arrangements would need to be acceptable to the Falkland Islanders.
	Regrettably, shortly following the visit, an article appeared in an Argentine newspaper, giving details of the talks and wrongly asserting that a "deal" on airlinks had been agreed. As Mr Rammell has indicated, this was not the case.
	Mr Rammell spoke subsequently to Falkland Councillors. They concluded that the proposals for temporary arrangements did not meet their concerns. However, they agreed that we should continue to discuss the issue with the Argentine Government with a view to securing a permanent solution to the question of charter flights rather than having further temporary arrangements.
	We are now taking this forward with the Argentine Government, with the full agreement of councillors. I will keep the House informed of progress.

European Union: Forthcoming Council Business

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union is as follows:
	
		
			 Date Location Event 
			 March 
			 1–2 Cork ASEM Finance Deputies' Meeting 
			 2 Brussels Environment Council 
			 3 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 3 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 4–6 Co. Clare Youth Ministerial Conference 
			 4–5 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs (Ministerial Informal) 
			 8 Brussels Meeting of Eurogroup 
			 8–9 Ankara EU Ministerial Troika with Turkey 
			 8–9 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy Council 
			 9 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 10 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 10 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 11 Dublin EU/Russia Ministerial Meeting (Troika) 
			 12 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 17 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 18 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 18 Ottawa EU Canada Summit (Troika) 
			 18–19 Dublin OECD Ministers Conference 
			 19 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 22 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 22–23 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations (GAERC) 
			 24 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 24 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 24–25 Brussels Meeting of the Economic and Financial Committee 
			 25–26 Brussels EUROPEAN COUNCIL 
			 30 Dublin EU/Ukraine Ministerial Meeting (Troika) 
			 30 Brussels Justice & Home Affairs (Ministerial Informal) 
			 31 Brussels COREPER 1 April 
			 2 Punchestown Meeting of Eurogroup 
			 2–3 Punchestown ECOFIN 
			 7–8 Co. Wicklow Ministerial Conference on Communicating Europe 
			 16–17 Tullamore GYMNICH 
			 17 Co. Kildare ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting 
			 26–27 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations (GAERC) 
			 26–27 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 27 Luxembourg EU/Russia Permanent Partnership Council (Troika?) 
			 29–30 Brussels Meeting of the Economic and Financial Committee 
			 29–30 Brussels Justice & Home Affairs (Ministerial Informal) May 
			 6–7 Dublin EuroMed Foreign Ministers 
			 7 Limerick Meeting of Ministers with responsibility for Equality 
			 9–11 Killarney Agriculture Informal Ministerial Meeting 
			 10 Brussels Meeting of Eurogroup 
			 11 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 11–12 Cork Health Ministers Consultative Meeting 
			 14–16 Waterford Informal Meeting of EU Environment Ministers 
			 17–18 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations (GAERC) 
			 19–20 Offaly Informal Budget Committee 
			 21 Moscow EU/Russia Summit (Troika) 
			 23–25 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 24–25 Brussels Meeting of the Economic and Financial Committee 
			 24–25 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 25–27 Co. Galway Conference on Islands and Territorial cohesion— Meeting New Challenges 
			 27–28 Brussels Education, Youth & Culture Council 
			 27–31 Dublin Ministers and Directors General of Public Administration 
			 28 Guadalajara EU-Latin America/Caribbean Summit June 
			 1–2 Luxembourg Health Council 
			 1 Dublin Development Ministers' Meeting 
			 1 Luxembourg Meeting of Eurogroup 
			 2 Luxembourg ECOFIN 
			 8 Luxembourg Justice & Home Affairs Council Meeting 
			 10–11 Luxembourg Transport, Telecom & Energy Council 
			 14–15 Luxembourg General Affairs & External Relations (GAERC) 
			 17–18 Brussels EUROPEAN COUNCIL 
			 21–22 Luxembourg Agriculture & Fisheries Council 
			 21–22 Brussels Meeting of the Economic and Financial Committee 
			 28–29 Luxembourg Council Meeting of EU Environment Ministers July 
			 1 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 2–3 Maastricht Competitiveness (Informal) 
			 7 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 7–8 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 8 tbc EU-Ukraine Summit 
			 8–10 Maastricht Social Policy (Informal) 
			 9–10 Amsterdam Transport (Informal) 
			 12–13 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations (GAERC) 
			 12–14 Rotterdam Informal Ministerial Education Youth and Culture 
			 14 Brussels COREPER 1 
			 15 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 16–18 Maastricht Environment (Informal) 
			 19 Brussels JHA Council 
			 19 Brussels Agricultural and Fisheries Council 
			 22 Brussels COREPER 2 
			 23 Brussels COREPER 1 AugustNo meetings planned

Reserve Forces Call-out Order

Lord Bach: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	A new call-out order has been made under Section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 so that Reservists may continue to be called out to support operations in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The order will take effect from 1 March 2004, the date the previous order expires. There are no plans to call out Reservists compulsorily under this order as it is expected that the small numbers needed will be met through volunteers for service in those countries.

British Forces in the Gulf: Free Packet Service

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Defence (Mr Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 17 April 2003, with the generous support of the Royal Mail Group, the Ministry of Defence introduced a free postal service to enable families to post packets up to 2 kg free of charge to BFPO addresses in the Gulf. The provision of a free packet service recognised the difficult conditions personnel were operating in and that it was not possible to provide the full spectrum of welfare support normally available to personnel on operations. While southern Iraq is not yet a benign environment, the level of welfare support and the facilities available on Operation TELIC are now comparable to those provided in other operational theatres.
	It has therefore been decided that from 8 April 2004 with the handover of 20 Armoured Brigade to 1 Mechanised Brigade this free service will cease. This date should allow for any Easter gifts to be sent under the free service.
	In common with other operations, personnel in Iraq are provided with free forces air letters and their electronic counterparts ("Blueys" and "eblueys") in addition to free Internet access and free 20-minute phone calls each week. Families may also send packets up to 2 kg in weight to personnel in the Gulf at a concessionary rate—the equivalent of the UK inland first class postal rate. The NAAFI/Expeditionary Forces Institute also sells through its outlets in theatre many of the small consumable items that families were previously sending to personnel and this has lead to a significant decline in the demand for the free packet service.

Olympic Games 2012: London Bid

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is focused on the Olympic Park in the lower Lea Valley. The London Development Agency submitted an outline planning application for the park and four ancillary applications to the Joint Planning Authorities Team (representing Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest London boroughs) on 30 January 2004. Decisions on these, and any subsequent applications, are matters for the local authorities concerned. However, it is possible that decisions in relation to these applications could fall to be determined by me as First Secretary of State (either on appeal or if applications were to be called in). I and other Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have other policy responsibilities, including the delivery of development and regeneration in the Thames Gateway and the role that the London Olympics bid might play in achieving these objectives. In order to ensure that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Guidance on Propriety Issues in the Handling of Planning Casework is followed, I have decided that any planning decisions arising for the First Secretary of State in respect of development related to the Olympics bid will be dealt with by my honourable friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford. She will not be involved in any other matters relating to the Olympics bid.

Civil Defence Grant

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office has made the following Written Ministerial Statement today.
	The aggregate of civil defence grants to be made for the financial year 2004–05 is £19,038,000. £100,000 will be retained as discretionary grant for special projects and special events deemed of benefit to the wider civil protection community in England and Wales. The remaining £18,938,000 will be allocated to individual authorities as set out below.
	
		
			 Local Authority Grant Allocation 2004–05 (£) 
			 Anglesey/Ynys Mon 61,342 
			 Barking & Dagenham 75,969 
			 Barnet 80,694 
			 Barnsley 76,076 
			 Bath & North East Somerset 90,011 
			 Bedfordshire 136,511 
			 Bexley 78,758 
			 Birmingham 187,380 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 70,658 
			 Blackpool 66,662 
			 Blaenau Gwent 63,083 
			 Bolton 82,674 
			 Bournemouth 70,122 
			 Bracknell Forest 63,899 
			 Bradford 125,756 
			 Brent 86,592 
			 Bridgend 68,323 
			 Brighton & Hove 81,172 
			 Bristol 98,486 
			 Bromley 84,980 
			 Buckinghamshire 200,557 
			 Bury 71,195 
			 Caerphilly 73,088 
			 Calderdale 74,574 
			 Cambridgeshire 163,057 
			 Camden 84, 175 
			 Cardiff 87,322 
			 Carmarthenshire 73,858 
			 Ceredigion 64,143 
			 Cheshire 189,969 
			 Conwy 64,811 
			 Cornwall 189,279 
			 Corporation of London 60,145 
			 Coventry 77,776 
			 Croydon 90,666 
			 Cumbria 216,116 
			 Darlington 63,899 
			 Denbighshire 71,434 
			 Derby 76,503 
			 Derbyshire 220,459 
			 Devon 217,294 
			 Doncaster 85,516 
			 Dorset 175,886 
			 Dudley 82,908 
			 Durham 213,601 
			 Ealing 90,344 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 72,166 
			 East Sussex 208,288 
			 Enfield 88,198 
			 Essex 315,112 
			 Flintshire 77,741 
			 Gateshead 79,140 
			 Gloucestershire 189,960 
			 Greater Manchester FCDA 64,060 
			 Greenwich 86,482 
			 Gwynedd 67,698 
			 Hackney 88,145 
			 Hatton 68,137 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 76,719 
			 Hampshire 298,996 
			 Haringey 85,624 
			 Harrow 65,726 
			 Hartlepool 64,650 
			 Havering 77,685 
			 Herefordshire 70,229 
			 Hertfordshire 310,886 
			 Hillingdon 81,386 
			 Hounslow 80,742 
			 Hull (Kingston upon Hull) 72,265 
			 Isle of Wight 72,230 
			 Isles of Scilly 53,708 
			 Islington 83,424 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 74,788 
			 Kent 339,586 
			 Kingston upon Thames 67,654 
			 Kirklees 95,431 
			 Knowsley 74,359 
			 Lambeth 87,789 
			 Lancashire 315,233 
			 Leeds 172,987 
			 Leicester 88,896 
			 Leicestershire 192,957 
			 Lewisham 83,978 
			 Lincolnshire 212,793 
			 Liverpool 97,648 
			 London FEPA 151,825 
			 Luton 59,894 
			 Manchester 147,667 
			 Medway 81,547 
			 Merseyside FCDA 73,332 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 60,998 
			 Merton 72,053 
			 Middlesbrough 71,355 
			 Milton Keynes 81,404 
			 Monmouthshire 62,154 
			 Neath Port Talbot 70,259 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 102,823 
			 Newham 88,226 
			 Newport 68,616 
			 Norfolk 276,813 
			 North East Lincolnshire 71,624 
			 North Lincolnshire 69,532 
			 North Somerset 71,248 
			 North Tyneside 74,091 
			 North Yorkshire 244,523 
			 Northamptonshire 239,260 
			 Northumberland 188,122 
			 Nottingham 86,321 
			 Nottinghamshire 210,927 
			 Oldham 79,294 
			 Oxfordshire 202,459 
			 Pembrokeshire 66,735 
			 Peterborough 72,214 
			 Plymouth 81,708 
			 Poole 66,635 
			 Portsmouth 74,467 
			 Powys 85,886 
			 Reading 67,386 
			 Redbridge 82,566 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 69,693 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 82,319 
			 Richmond upon Thames 69,424 
			 Rochdale 77,310 
			 Rotherham 81,654 
			 Rutland 56,443 
			 Salford 72,386 
			 Sandwell 88,413 
			 Sefton 84,015 
			 Sheffield 96,386 
			 Shropshire 153,834 
			 Slough 68,566 
			 Solihull 73,716 
			 Somerset 164,359 
			 South Gloucestershire 76,183 
			 South Tyneside 71,516 
			 South Yorkshire FCDA 84,356 
			 Southampton 77,470 
			 Southend 71,966 
			 Southwark 77,343 
			 St Helens 73,333 
			 Staffordshire 226,842 
			 Stockport 79,992 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 73,877 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 74,413 
			 Suffolk 221,786 
			 Sunderland 101,107 
			 Surrey 297,388 
			 Sutton 73,126 
			 Swansea 78,933 
			 Swindon 71,355 
			 Tameside 77,310 
			 Telford and Wrekin 72,385 
			 Thurrock 68,666 
			 Torbay 67,440 
			 Torfaen 64,876 
			 Tower Hamlets 93,509 
			 Trafford 75,754 
			 Tyne & Wear FCDA 34,892 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 72,385 
			 Wakefield 86,667 
			 Walsall 83,639 
			 Waltham Forest 83,532 
			 Wandsworth 79,155 
			 Warrington 72,804 
			 Warwickshire 181,722 
			 West Berkshire 67,815 
			 West Midlands FCDA 60,386 
			 West Sussex 225,386 
			 West Yorkshire FCDA 61,593 
			 Westminster 86,804 
			 Wigan 84,497 
			 Wiltshire 194,786 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 66,796 
			 Wirral 89,861 
			 Wokingham 66,525 
			 Wolverhampton 82,030 
			 Worcestershire 186,835 
			 Wrexham 72,926 
			 York 72,220 
		
	
	To determine the individual allocations the following formula was adopted:
	Each authority received £53,000. Each county council received £12,000 in respect of each shire district within the authority's boundaries. These flat-rate payments accounted for approximately 65 per cent of the aggregate grant in recognition of the fact that every authority, regardless of size and population, would incur similar unavoidable costs in conducting the basic civil protection function.
	The remaining 35 per cent of the aggregate grant was distributed according to the Bellwin threshold, using population size as a proxy for the scale of the civil protection that authorities need to undertake.
	This formula is retained by agreement with the Local Government Association.